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31 Jan 2009

I'm Jon, the boyfriend and helper of Lynne, feeder of Weapon X and Widget and general all round nice chap. I've lived with Lynne now for two years and will hopefully continue to do so for the rest of my life. My hobbies are mainly World of Warcraft and taking things apart, but also enjoy juggling, fire spinning and all manner of slightly odd things, though I hardly have any time to do anything any more. I have just started working for a major I.T. company and think that I have a bright future ahead of me there. I'm about to start the second of three weeks of training and am already loving it. I suppose that computers are also a hobby, and I'm more than able to take them apart and put them back together with my eyes closed.

Lynne made me put up this Action photo of me spinning flag poi

Regular (or old time) readers of the blog will know that my favourite sandwich filling is egg, bacon and ketchup, and that one of my favourite biscuits are Jammie Dodgers. The other favourite being any with chocolate on! Meal wise, I'm really into my lasagne, as well as curry (favourite meal is Chicken tikka masala, lemon rice and a keema naan) and my favourite beer is Kronenbourg 1664. I also drink a fair amount of coffee, though will never touch instant coffee as it tastes like mud.

I was "diagnosed" with ADHD at the age of 10 or so, which made it hard to make friends as I mainly just annoyed them so much they didn't really want to be near me. For example, from the age of 10, I was not invited to any of the boys at school's birthday parties until I was 16 and had calmed down a bit. As a result, I'm more than happy to work or play on my own for long periods of time and am quite self sufficient unless I'm dealing with something I have no knowledge or experience of, however, I'm more than happy to get stuck in at the deep end. I'm happy to say that I now have a very large friend base, including people all over the world. It's my own unique and full of mentalness that makes people like me I think. That, and the fact I try to be nice to everyone I know, unless they have done or said something that makes me treat with disdain.

This is me in one of my previous day jobs

As Lynne said in her "About me" blog, we are aiming for a tyre or straw bale house that we create ourselves. I'm really looking forwards to doing this, as I cannot wait to have a house that I have designed myself as it will be crafted to my specification. I am very lucky to have spent just over a year living on a houseboat (widebeam canal barge) that was on a major English canal, and it is by FAR the best place I have ever lived. I loved that fact that it wasn't a "bricks and mortar" type of house, but didn't like the distance we had to walk to the train station everyday to get to work! It was between 20 and 25 minutes each way. I'm really looking forwards to the idea of being self sufficient, however the only thing I worry about is getting a good Internet connection! I can't live without the Internet these days, I use it (or a computer) in some way every single day. I embrace technology and love gadgets. I don't like pointless gadgets I won't really use though which I have received far too many of for Christmas and birthday presents!

That's all I can really think of telling you that isn't incredibly boring really. I hope you feel that you know me a little better now.

30 Jan 2009

Crepe paper hearts, construction paper lace and little cards tucked inside tiny white envelopes invoke a memory in most of us that never seems to grow old. The wonderful feeling of opening something addressed to you and seeing the red hearts, the handwriting and reading the sentiment, lets you know that love isn't just something people sing about on the radio. Family and friends may really agonize over Christmas presents, but Valentines give everyone the giggles and warm fuzzies as we read and select which little card goes to which person.

Grade school children will make little boxes or decorate sacks to hold all their cards and they will rush home to read them over and over again. One day at just the oddest time that box will be discovered and the memories of 3rd grade will come flooding back. It's from those little boxes put into the attic that vintage collectors will find the treasures of vintage Valentines. It seems as though the Valentines for children of the 21st century are based on the latest trend, but those cards from long ago were all about the friendship and love found in a simple statement and a bright colored image.

Imagine a watch drawn on a card with a bright shiny face and hearts floating past its eyes. The sentiment reads, "I hope you have the time, to be my Valentine." Simple and direct and so much fun.

From the love affair people have with vintage ephemera, there has sprung the love affair with vintage valentines not only being collected but being used in works of art. Altered Art, Collages and Scrap-booking have all begun to re-claim those vintage cards and give them a second life to be admired.

Rhonda Van Pelt an artist in Colorado has a love affair going with Victorian Valentines and she creates wonderful pieces based on the cards and their themes. She isn't selfish with her collection as she scans each one and puts those images online for others to enjoy.

Hammock Days is on an old embroidery hoop and is 23 x 23 inches. She utilizes not only the Valentines but vintage remnants she finds in antique shops.

Rhonda has also created covered boxes using her talents and the vintage images she has collected. She doesn't actually use her cards, but scans them and then works from her scanned images, printing them to the size she needs. The 4 x 4 box gives the effect of a patchwork quilt and shows the time consuming effort she puts into her works.

If you want to find more of Rhonda’s images and work, visit her on-line gallery. She is working on quilts from the scanned images and plans to one day have a gallery show of her work. Rhonda's collection is growing and with each vintage Valentine she collects, she adds depth to her art. She is a perfect example of how an artist can not only be a vintage collector but can also use that collection to promote bodies of work.

Another use of vintage pieces within art is exemplified in a fantastic on-line etsy shop, Blue Sky Pottery. Deb is another Colorado artist and her etsy shop shows her love of vintage and her expertise in working with vintage items to enhance her work.

According to Deb, she made a few of these heart dishes, impressing some vintage lace into the clay while it was soft. Each one is different due to the placement of the lace, how the glaze pools into the impressions, and because they are made by hand. The lacy design shows through on both sides of this very pretty dish.

She has even put vintage lace to work in her jewelry pieces. This little pendant will look fantastic on a silk cord and worn not only on the holiday but anytime of the year.

Putting your heart into your work takes on a whole new meaning when you actually put a heart in your work ! Valentines Day is about sharing your love and friendship with those around you. What better way to share the love of vintage items than to actually put something vintage into artwork.

While it may only be cutting out a heart with a pair of scissors and some construction paper to make a little sentiment a handmade Valentine speaks volumes about the care and attention you are giving to those around you each day.

Over the next few months, I hope to introduce you to many artists utilizing vintage finds in their works, wonderful vintage shops with unique items for artists and also some tips and hints on how to get vintage into your work.

28 Jan 2009

Last weekend we made clay monsters. Not for any particular reason… just because we wanted to. We didn’t set ourselves a brief stating what kind of monsters, so this is how they turned out:

Mine is the one with the top hat and all the arms. I quite like him. He makes me laugh. Maybe this is what people should be doing during the credit crunch – behaving like children again. It’s pretty cheap! Anyway, here are some other monster creations…

This functional corduroy monster from KZ originals would make a great purse, or just a place to keep all those annoying things that float around in the bottom of your bag. I really like his big zippy mouth and mismatching eyes, how incredibly cute!

This cute felt necklace monster is made by feltathome. Her name is Orla, she’s made from merino wool and she likes biscuits and tea.

A perfect monster for a little child in your life. He’s not too scary, but he does have the perfect set of monster eyes. This squishy monster is made by gush4plush who has a wide range of equally weird and wonderful little critters.

Here’s little pretty’s crazy happy seamonster card. So simple, yet so sweet! Maybe a good one for valentine’s day?

So we’ve had squishy monsters, handy monster, and crazy happy monsters. How could I forget the good old sock monster! To be honest they normal scare me slightly, but I’ve been won over by Bugsy the blue sock monster with a tail by Vexilla. He’s ace!

27 Jan 2009

For the next few weeks I am going to invite each of the writers of this blog to tell the readers a little bit about them self, so that you readers can get to know a little bit about us, what we do and how we came to be writing for Autonomous Artisans. So, I guess I better be the first.

I’m Lynne, I am the maker of all the goods in my Pirate Pixie Crew shops and co owner of Hyperloop Hoops and I make most of the hoops and wick covers. I started Autonomous Artisans to give exposure to people, who like me, hand make goods, produce artworks, recycle/upcycle goods. I was finding it so hard to get people to view my on-line shops and realised that lots of other people were in the same situation as me. Autonomous Artisans grew out of the need to connect buyers with sellers and to champion people that were doing it for themselves.

I strongly believe that human beings need to find a less damaging way to live on this planet before we cause the environment to become so hostile to our species that we can’t survive. The earth will go on, with or without human beings, so I’m not trying to save the earth; I’m trying to save the environment that my loved ones need to stay alive. Handmade, recycled goods and buying as local as possible all fit neatly into my vision of making things better.

So who am I? I'm not sure the answer to that question is very simple. I'm everything and nothing. I'm a dreamer, but realistic. I'm creative, yet love to take things apart. I'm full of ideas, but can't convert 90% of them into reality. I'm told I'm a strong person, yet I feel lacking in strength. I love life and the adventure, but sometimes I don't feel I can live any more. Small details thrill me, small minded people annoy me. I spin fire poi and hoops, yet fire frightens me. I dance in puddles and sing in the bath, but deep water scares me. Bright colours thrill me, yet I mainly dress in black. I'm a hoarder yet long for neat, clean lines. I adore wide open, wild and windy places, but hate to feel cold. I guess in total I'm really a 6 year old child living in a 41 year old body that's struggling to come to terms with the world being not exactly as I dreamed it should be.

I guess a lot of people would class me as a bit of a tree hugging hippie and I wouldn’t take that as an insult, so I guess I am. I’ve had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis for over 20 years. I have a relapsing form and can spend years in fairly good health, but I do also have many months of being pretty ill. I started out my working life in microbiology and moved from that to retail as my health was declining, but a sudden down turn my illness has lead to me being all but unemployable for the moment, so I’ve taken all my hobbies and expanded them all into a way of making a bit of money and spreading my love for certain things, like hula hooping and hats.

I live in South Wales in the UK with my supportive sexy partner Jon and our two misbehaving monkeypunk cats. We have mountains behind our home and the sea is only 20 minutes drive away. The countryside around us is gorgeous. Being it is Wales, which is mountainous, we do get a lot of rain, but that keeps the grass and trees green and the rivers flowing. Our big dream is to build ourselves a self sufficient home from recycled car tyres on a big enough plot of land to be able to grow most of our own food. The aim is to get off the national electrical grid by the use of solar and wind power, and to be self sufficient in water and waste disposal. This dream is a few years away yet, but the plans are growing and we are researching and collecting ideas all the time.

26 Jan 2009

We have two Project Wonderful ad blocks on the top right of our blog. We are happy to say that the people placing their ads there are sponsoring this blog and allowing us to continue to showcase lovingly handmade goods to the world each day. As a thank you to those people we like to pick goods from their shops to feature on the blog every now and then. Today I thought I'd post up some items from the people showing up as I write this.

MNH Photography is a regular in our ad block, and I'm so glad that she is as I love looking through her shop at all the beautiful photos. At the moment her shop has lots of stunning photos of birds. I chose the Blue Jay to share with you because I have never seen one before. They are not native to the UK. I thought they would be a more vivid blue colour, but the delicate blue that they are is much more beautiful than the image I had in my head that they should look like.

Another regular is Sweet and Tranquil. The photographs of her soaps make my mouth water. If they smell as good as they look I'm sure you'd never get me out of the bath. These bars are chocolate and strawberry scented, 2 of my favourite things, yum!

Stonehouse Studios made these beautiful classy earrings and again is a regular sponsor of this blog. Her shop has some of the most delightful jewellery I have seen in ages. They range from quite complex pieces to simple elegant pieces like these earrings, which are on sale at the moment so why not go and bag something gorgeous at a great price.

Just how gorgeous are these bunny hair clips from Glamasaurus? My niece would have loved some of these when she was little. She was obsessed with rabbits from the age of 3-12. Glamasaurus has sponsored us pretty much from the day the Ad boxed from Project Wonderful appeared.

6060 is a supplies seller. She sells mainly animal facial features for soft toys, like these eyes and animal noses, she also has findings for bear joints. There are loads to choose from so go and take a look. I picked these blue ones to show you because they remind me of a small blue eyed bear I had as a child.

CJ's Fine Designs makes and sells lots of cute baby goods and some handmade jewellery. The funky monkeys on this waterproof bib caught my eye, so I thought I'd share them with you. There are lots of lovely cloth diapers, baby wipes, booties, sleep sacks, changing mats and much more. If you have a baby to buy for, check out her store.

Thank you to everyone that spends their hard earn cash on our ad blocks. You're sponsorship gives us the chance to surf the net to find lots of gorgeous goods to share with all our readers and to give exposure to a lot of great handmade goods.

25 Jan 2009

Spring is only just around the corner and we all love to have a fresh start at this time of year. Spring cleaning out our homes to welcome in the bright sunshine of the summer months often leads us to redecorating or sprucing up our houses. This weeks artisan Deanna makes lots of beautiful cushions and homewares. With so much variety in her shop you will be sure to find something to compliment any colour scheme you might have.Find out all about her and her craft.

1. Could you please introduce us to who you are and what you do?Hi! My name is Deanna Janssen and I am 26 years old. I am a stay at home mom to a wonderful little boy, a part time student and an Etsyaholic! I am going to school to become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (ultrasound tech) and am currently on the waiting list. My husband owns and runs three busy businesses, plus we flip houses. Needless to say, we are super busy and crafting and creating is my major outlet! Without it I would probably go nuts!

2. What led you to take up your craft?I guess I have always been a crafter! ( I bet everyone says that, right!?) I have always enjoyed making things, sewing, knitting, painting and creating! Anything that keeps my hands busy! My grandma was and still is an avid sewer and when I was little I always used to sit in her basement and watch her sew and go through her huge cupboard of material and buttons. She always made me cute handmade stuffed animals and dolls.

3. Which part of your work do you most enjoy?I enjoy pretty much every part of my work! If I had to pick one, I think it would be seeing the final product! I love seeing what I envisioned come to reality. Sometimes it comes out exactly how I wanted it, sometimes better, sometimes worse! But it all works out in the end! I will tweak something until it comes out the ways I want it!

4. Which part do you find hardest? The hardest part is when my sewing machine becomes possessed! I just bought a new one, thinking it would frustrate me less, but it still doesn't like me! I talk to it, threaten to throw it out the window and then it usually behaves for a bit!

5. Where do you hope to be in 1 year's time?In one years time I hope to have become a successful Etsy seller! I also hope to be continually inspired and to come up with creative, one of a kind ideas!

6. What is the best advice you have ever been given?The best advice I have ever been given is probably, "For others to love you, you first have to love yourself". I think the same is for my crafting. I need to love it first, in order for other people to love it! I honestly don't think I could create something I didn't love!

8. What is your favourite sandwich filling?Sandwich filling? Hmm...not huge into sandwiches. How about a pizza sub- does that count??

Thank you Deanna for sharing a bit about your life with us and craft. With so many pretty items in your shop I'm sure you aim for next year will come true. Readers if you wish to keep up with what is going on in Deanna's life and shop, you might like to add her blog to the ones you follow.

23 Jan 2009

Today I took a surf through the shops in the handmade section of Artfire to see what kind of goods are offered. I'm pleased to say there is a fantastic variety of goods, all made with loving care. When there are so many crafts men and women out there creating such fabulous goods it makes me wonder why anyone would bother buying mass produced items at all. Why have the same as everyone else when you can have something much more individual?

John T. Unger creates beautiful recycled steal fire pits of various shapes and sizes. Fire pits allow you to light a fire in a more controlled way than just building a bonfire on the ground. Johns sculpted edged pits also give you great shadows in the night. I love this picture of the firelight in the water.

This is another photo that I love. Bronwen Handcrafted baby slings not only leave you with both hands free whilst comfortably carrying your baby they do it in style. I adore the colours of this silk sling and being that it is made of silk it is sure to be strong. It's also a breathable fabric so will keep you cool on the summer.

There are so many creatures that are becoming endangered now days. In the UK bees are getting rarer due to pesticides used in farming and infections within the bee population. Andrew's Reclaimed is making these lovely recycled wooden bee hives to put in your garden to encourage bees to nest. This particular one is designed for Blue Orchard Bee. Having a hive in your garden will give them somewhere to live and in return they will pollinate your flowers.

Jewelry by Desiree created this pretty necklace from discs of mother of pearl separated by short strings of mini seed beads on sterling silver pins. This could be worn dressed down with jeans and a t-shirt, but would equally look great up against that little black dress.

If you are like my friend Gayle you can never have enough photo frames. Gayle loves to have pictures of her family and friends all over her walls. This gorgeous granite tile mosaic frame from Do Mosaics is a simple shape that appears to sparkle in the light. It will compliment any photo you put into it.

If you like what you see here take a look around these people's shops and also take a tour around Artfire and see what other gems you can find. Feel free to link more fabulous goods from Artfire in the comment section. I'd love to see what you find.

22 Jan 2009

This morning whilst putting on my Wellie boot to go out and get some coal for the fire I squished a big leopard slug. It had slimed into my Wellington boot some time in the night and sadly for it, my big cheese foot came down and squished it. Poor little slug. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of slugs as they eat their way through loads of the veggies, but that has to be a really horrible way to die. In honour of the dead slug I decided to find some handmade items that celebrate slugs.

Bianca Venice photograph shows off this European slug in all it's glory. You can see all the amazing details and texture of it's skin. This one is a really dark black colour, the one I squished was a light tan colour with dark spots, hence the name Leopard slug.

Late Night Knitting has come up with a pattern to knit this cute little slug. I've never seen a slug with such big lips and even if I did I don't think I'd want to kiss it. This cutie is sure to get many cuddles and kisses.

I've never thought of giving a slug as a Valentines gift before but Mathaland has made me think what a great idea it would be. A "love U" and a pretty little card would be a fabulous gift for a loved one that isn't into all that schmaltzy lovey dovey stuff. It's sure to raise a smile.

Odd Imagination has created this vibrantly coloured polymer clay slug. This one is more like the poor departed slug, well it is except for the colours. It was less vibrant than and more camouflaged. I think this one might get spotted by the birds too easily.

I love the work of Loopy Boopy and have featured her work before but Slug Boy was a must for today's feature. Sadly Slug Boy doesn't have many slug friends, so he hangs out with the worms. Now they are a whole other kettle of fish. Worms help the soil and that helps the vegetables to grow, which I guess makes the Slug Boy happy.

Slugs are the bane of most gardeners lives. They nibble their way through everything and can decimate big leafy green plants in a night. They chomp their way into lettuces, cabbage, hosters... well anything juicy really, but despite all that I still feel sorry for the one I squished. I guess I'm just a big softy.

21 Jan 2009

My boyfriend and I are thinking of buying ourselves a house this year. Even though we haven’t found the right place yet, it’s already been quite stressful and taken over our lives! We spend evenings in lively debate about where do we want to live, what type of place do we want, which mortgage should we get, what’s the market going to do, boring, boring, boring. To prevent myself from becoming the dullest person ever I’ve tried to turn my attention to thinking about what I’ll put in the lovely house that we buy.

So, firstly this funky flamingo cushion cover by cheeky boo. It is made from gorgeous Japanese fabric, with a very cute yellow mini pom-pom trim. It would look ace on any sofa, bed or if you’re lucky enough, on a lovely bay window seat. Currently I can only dream!

My favourite little felt pots - I like these so much! They look so soft but pleasingly functional. Papaververt makes a wide range of high quality bowls, vases, trays and plant cosies all of which are equally tempting. I’m so in love with these - good job my birthday is coming up soon!

This amazing Topoware set for two includes 2 salad bowls, 2 serving plates and 2 dinner plates. They are all beautifully designed, taking inspiration from topographic maps, making eating both classy and fun!

This little pin cushion by Picciolo is an incredibly stylish way to store all those pins you crafty people have got lying around. The blue felt and the red and white polkadot fabric makes the cutest crafting accessory.

Aha! Another bird themed item, but possibly the cutest bird I’ve ever seen! Rachel Mcbird has been created by cookoorikoo. Not only is Miss Mcbird cute, she’s also made from recycled material, making everyone happy, especially me!

Hopefully not long until we (and all these lovely items) find our way into a nice new house all of our own. Keep your fingers cross for me!

20 Jan 2009

So today is an amazing day in Americas History. Finally you Americans have voted someone into the presidential position that I haven't, from over here in the UK, though "Dear God! Why did you pick him?" I'm no expert in politics and I would never claim to be, but I do feel like there is a change in the air and the fact that an African American will be taking residence in the White House today just reaffirms my belief in that. Only time will tell if Barack Obama is going to be a force for good, but just the massive feeling of this being a clean sweep maybe enough to bring a bit of optimism back into the western world, because, lets be honest, we really need a bit of optimism and joy right now.

So on the theme of clean sweeps I thought what better way than to get a fresh start than to wash away all that dirt and negativity with some beautiful handmade soaps?

Now this isn't something you're going to see every day! Nubian Body Sensations has made a soap just perfect for today. If you fancy a scrub in the tub with Barack you better get buying as this is a limited run of soap.

Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen is a shop that is chock full of beautiful soaps. Even the grubbiest teenager would leap into the shower to use one of Rebecca's fabulous soaps. With such a huge range of scents on offer there is sure to be a bar of soap here for every member of the family.

SudsMuffin is encouraging all you gents to lose all those scratchy whiskers with their old school shaving lather soap bar. It contains bentonite clay to give your razor added glide to get you a beautifully smooth finish. Welcome in the new era with a new look facial hair design.

Sweet and Tranquil wants to pamper you and spice up your life with this cranberry and sweet orange, apple and cinnamon soap. Sweet and warming scents, soft suds and the beautiful look of the soap will delight your senses.

The Beer Soap Company has a shop full of beer based soaps. There is no other liquid added in the making of their soaps other than beer/stout. This one got picked just because of the chocolate content. Yes I confess I'm a chocoholic. Beer soap is great for washing your hair or body. Give it a try!

After all that washing you might want to give your skin the final treat with this solid bar of body balm from Nicki Leigh. It looks like a bar of soap but really it's a great way to carry moisturiser around with you without the fear of it leaking out into your bag. Smooth it on to your freshly cleaned body.

So today is fresh start for America at least and many non Americans want to celebrate with you. We are hoping for a real change in the way America is run and the way it behaves towards the rest of the world. Fresh starts and new beginnings are a good time to re-evaluate what is really important. I just hope the answers that come out of that process is the need to be more environmentally friendly and for people to embrace the differences there are between each of us and learn to Live and let live.

19 Jan 2009

Every week we ask the artisan of the week "What is your favourite sandwich filling?" and we have had many varied answers. Some of the answers made me feel hungry and others made me say "ergh, yuck!", but one thing I think they all did was reflect upon the interviewee's personality. I decided today to take a look around the handmade shops on Etsy to see what sandwiches were on offer, and here is what I found.

Crafty Anna has crocheted this classic peanut butter and jelly (or jam as we call it in the UK) sandwich kit. I love the fact it comes with its own knife and the slices of bread come off the loaf of bread. What a fabulous piece of work and you can make it too as the pattern for this set is for sale in Anna's shop.

Now it looks to me that the chicken is a little under cooked in this sandwich from Kill Taupe. I think that bear might get a stomach ache if he eats it. The poor little chicken looks terrified. I'm hoping that when the bear tries to takes the first bite the chicken gets squeezed out to fly away.

Grandy and Baa's triple decker sandwich looks full of healthy goodies, like egg, beetroot and salad. Perfect for a growing toddler. I personally, as a vegetarian, would leave out the salami, but the rest looks very yummy.

Mandolyn's Dad's cold cuts platter will stack up to be a tasty treat for the meat eaters out there, or at least it would if it wasn't made of felt. What a fabulous toy for a little one to play at making lunch with. Lots of salad to remind them to eat fresh, healthy veg as they grow up.

Sappy Moose Tree take on the sandwich might scare you if you found the real thing in your kitchen. Imagine coming home to find a Jelly fish making a sandwich out of itself with peanut butter. I think it must have misread the "Beginners guide to cooking, recipe book". Great fun!

My favourite sandwich would either be Marmite and lettuce on granary bread or curried Quorn cubes with mixed salad and mint & cucumber dressing. Most people don't like my food combinations, but I say don't knock it until you try it. Now away with you all to make yourself a sandwich and a cup of tea. See you all tomorrow!